Ball grid array (BGA) connectors are generally known in the art and a general discussion of such connectors can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,606. In these types of connectors an integrated circuit is mounted to a plastic or ceramic substrate with a ball grid array, which generally includes spherical solder balls that are positioned on electrical contact pads of a circuit substrate. These types of connectors can be mounted to an integrated circuit without using external leads extending from the integrated circuit. Among the advantages of ball grid array connectors are smaller package sizes, good electrical performance and lower profiles.
In prior mezzanine style connectors unique components were required for each connector stack height and gender. This invention includes a modular mezzanine style board to board connector that can be made to a selected stack height by choosing from a variety of common components that can mixed or matched to provide a desired stack height. Regardless of the stack height, the plug and the receptacle can be made using at least some of the same components. If a larger stack height is needed, additional components can be added.